The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1887-08-11
The Russian Bloodhound.

In crossing the Strand, London, j..
lodged the pole of one vehicle just il
+! time to be struck by the shafts Of an
other, and, as the pavement was slip
perry I went down, and the vehicle
went over me, breaking my left leg be-
low the knee. An hour later I was il
my bachelor. apartments (the work of the
surgeon fnisbedl l7apd: feeling that
with my life. 1 was in for siege Of
many weeks, and I had some business
which must be attended to by an out
slider. Therefore, after day or two, !
sent for Captain Jack Williams, an old
acquaintance. He answered promptly
enough, and we soon made very satis-
factory arrangements. He was bluff,
honest fellow, out of active service, and
having nothing to do, and the only I'M.
pleasant feature about his friendship was
the fact of his owning monster Rus
sian bloodhound. The brute was his
shadow. Where the dog could not go
the Captain would not go. He refused
all parties and receptions because of the
dog. He refraired from excursions by
land or sea because he would be tenn
porarily separated from Gar, as he
called the animal. The pair were we'll
known in London, and the captain was
as safe at midnight in the -slums- -aa-a~y--
other man would be in the Strand at
MONDAY. One glance at the dog was
enough to show that he was as dan
gerous as tiger. He made no friends
either among dogs or men, and had
miraculously escaped dozen well-laid
traps to bring about his death.
I hated Car, and on two or three oc-
casions I had reason to believe that the
feeling was returned. When the Captain
called and found me laid up, he had
sense enough to know that the presence
of the brute might annoy me, and he
therefore shut him up in the servants
ususIry y prompt m Upeuieuce. til ting
occasion hc obeyed in a grudging, sulky:
manner, and before leaving the room
threatened me so plainly that became
apprehensivc. The Captain agreed that
Gear should not enter my sick room
again, and in n couple Of weeks I had
forgotten all about the incident.
Ihad apartments on the second floor,
three rooms in row, with hall along
the front of the last two. The first
room was for my servant, a man who
had been with me for many years. The
next was the reception room, and the
third my sleeping room. One coming
down the hall could enter at the door OF
either room. The bedroom aud recep-
ton room were connected, but the ser
wants room was entirely shut off. 1t
was hot day in August, with all doors
and windows open. I was feeling
pretty smart although'thc pain was con-
siderable, and couple of my friends
had just departed, after brief call,
when Henry, my servant, came in to see
what he could do for me. was fiat on
my back, as you know, with no chance
to turn over on account of the leg, but
I had him prop me up with two or three
pillows. I then sent him for ice. He
had but few steps to 60, and the doors
were left open behind him. He had
been gone about five minutes when in
walked Capt. Williams Russian blood.
hound. I shouldn't have said walked;
on the contrary he came running in,
head up, tongue out and his eyes as red
as live Goals. Isaw him the moment he
entered, and it passed through my brain
like flash that he was mad.
The door leading into the hall was
open. Twice as the dog circled around
the room he seemed on the point Of 60.
ing out, but each time changed his
mind, whined in an uneasy way, and
then continued his circling. He did
not look for me, nor at me. 1t was a
large room, with the bed against the
wall, and from the way the brute
bumped against the chairs believe he
was nearly blind. He had been with
me two or three minutes when the hall
door was caught by draught of wind
and slowly pulled to. 1t did not quite
shut. The dog noticed the movement,
sprang to get out, and the result was
that he pushed the door shut and
snapped the spring lock. The door lead
ing into the reception room was still
open, but the door from that into the
hall was shut The animal rushed into
this room, upset chair and bumped
the table, and then came back whin-
ing, his tail down and his courage
! gone and skunk under my bed. Tha
the dog was suffering with hydropho
Y -. 4, .,i 1,.,o douht Aa h,